Charlie Baker online ad brings it all home with family

Thursday, October 17, 2013 -- Anonymous (not verified)

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Local Politics

Friday, October 18, 2013

Author(s):

Matt Stout

Gubernatorial hopeful Charlie Baker’s strategy of showing a softer side came into sharper focus yesterday as he rolled out an online ad showcasing his wife, Lauren, riffing on everything from parenthood and their kids to Baker as a father — but steering clear of politics.

The one-minute, 10-second clip — dubbed “Our Family,” and blasted out in emails and social media to supporters — features Lauren Baker speaking over a slideshow of family photos that introduces voters to their three children, Charlie, 22; A.J., 19; and Caroline, 16.

“Family for us is the center of our lives. It’s the anchor,” Lauren Baker says to open the video. “Parenting is a really tough job. I say all the time that I think being a parent is like walking through a really dense fog and you just hope that the step you just took wasn’t off of a cliff.”

Charlie Baker has said he wants to show a more personal side in this race, compared to his failed run against Gov. Deval Patrick in 2010, when he struck a negative tone that he now says didn’t reflect his personality. His wife joined him in interviews the day after he launched his run in September, and she acknowledged she is trying to help win the female bloc that voted heavily against her husband three years ago.

The new video only mentions Charlie Baker at the end, when his wife calls him a “great dad” who “can’t sit still at a game.”

While only online for now, Baker spokesman Tim Buckley said the video is “along the same lines of something we can see on TV” later in the campaign.

“Lauren is going to be featured a lot more in this campaign than she was in the past,” Buckley said.